Deepfake of Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr in Back to the Future

In case you are some kind of ghastly Luddite, a deepfake is essentially when you add someone’s face to someone else and make them say fake stuff. Think digital ‘Face/Off‘. It can also be, for example, when you make someone like Obama says some things he never said (see video below of top ten deepfakes). Predictably, as with so much other technology, one of the prime drivers of a good deepfake is the porn industry. Interactive DVDs, internet video streaming, VR – those horny porn fellows must have some pretty major R&D facilities. I can only wonder what they are going to do with bendable and folding screens.

Others are getting good at it too. Sadly, a good deepfake means you will no longer be able to trust anything anyone says. When Trump screams ‘fake news’, he might, ironically, not be lying for a change. If you want to check out some of the more famous ones, here is a video that from all the way back in 2019. It is terrifying that these are just getting better. Warning – the voice over talks a lot.

Now to the main event. This deepfake is a new one. I had previously written on the superb Scifi Ward website that someone had previously mucked about with Back to the Future by chucking in Star Wars characters. Well, now someone with even better technical skills has done a deepfake with Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr as Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd. And it is really good. One common problem encountered with deepfakes is similar to that found in computer games – the uncanny valley. There are moments when it feels a bit weird but it is still really well done and it is a film that I would definitely watch. I know this technology is going to be used for evil but occasionally it will be cool. Enjoy.